Guayana
This country is part of Altverse |demonym = Falklander Falklandic |government_type = |leader_title1 = President |leader_name1 = Rowan Savage |leader_title2 = Vice-President |leader_name2 = Raleigh Llewellyn |leader_title3 = Chairperson of the CPF |leader_name3 = Diane Chesterton |legislature = People's Assembly |established_event1 = Falklands War |established_event2 = Independence from Britannia |established_date1 = 2nd April – 14th June 1982 |established_date2 = 15th 1982 |area_km2 = 12,200 |area_rank = 162nd |area_sq_mi = 4,700 |population_estimate = 341,256 |population_estimate_year = 2014 |GDP_PPP = $208.3 million |GDP_PPP_year = 2014 |GDP_PPP_per_capita = $52,300 |Gini = 34.17 |Gini_year = 2014 |Gini_category = |HDI = 0.787 |HDI_year = 2014 |HDI_category = |currency = Falkland pound |currency_code = FKP |time_zone = |utc_offset = -3 |drives_on = left |cctld = .fk |official_website = www.prfk.fk |calling_code = +500}} The Falklandic People's Socialist Republic (Welsh:Pobl Falklandic yn Sosialaidd Gweriniaeth) also known as the Falklands or Falkland Islands is an archipelago in the South Atlantic ocean, consisting of 778 islands. It is 300 miles east off of the coast of Argentina. The Falklands is a governed by the Communist Party of the Falklands (CPF). Its capital is Stanley, located on the East Falkland island. Welsh and English are the primary languages spoken. Although controversy still arises on who discovered the islands, the Falklands first permanent inhabitants were Gaulish explorers, although they soon gave the islands up to Albish colonists. The Spanish and Argentinians also settled on the islands, although the Albish asserted their rule in 1883 despite Argentina claiming the islands as theirs. The Albish remained in control of the islands, with a large amount of Welsh citizens moved to the islands to boost its economy in the 1920's prompting a sharp population boost to occur. In 1982 Argentina invaded and forcibly occupied the islands after Albion was plunged into chaos from its Socialist Revolution. The newly formed Commonwealth of Britannia responded quickly reasserted their rule of the islands two months later after the Falklands War. Shortly after the war Britannia gave independence to the Falklands putting the Communist Party of the Falklands into power. The Falklands is one of the smallest nations on the planet with a population of just over 3,980 people. Despite this the Falklands has a high HDI and overall GDP value with large industries in fishing, sheep farming, and tourism. Recently the Falklands government have in joint partnership with the British government in the pursuit of oil exploration. The Falklands is a member of the League of Nations, , and the International Order of Socialist States. Etymology History Pre colonial history The Falkland islands are generally thought to have been on the whole uninhabited prior to the arrival of Europeans. Some archaeologists have discovered artefacts such as arrowheads and even a canoe on the East islands, indicating that it is possible that the of or the from could have inhabited the islands. This theory used to be supported by the former existence of the - a land mammal that had previously thought to have brought over by settlers. DNA evidence discovered in 2009 indicated that the Warrah had lived on the island long before humans. Furthermore, British historians have theorised that the canoes/arrowheads where from the Patagonian Missionary Society, who founded a base of operations on the Keppel Island located off of the coast of West Falkland in 1856, therefore indicating that the first settlers of the Falklands where European colonists. This is still however a matter of intense debate. Colonisation The first to document of the Falkland islands existence where Portuguese explorers who had added it of maps by the 16th century. Some have claimed that it was either Portuguese, Spanish, Albish or Dutch sailors discovered the islands. Commonly the vogues of , , , and are credited for helping discover the location of the islands. The first colony established on the islands was by the Gaulish in 1764. This colony was the Port St. Louis on the East Falkland coast. A year later Albish explorer set up his own port on the West Falkland island in a natural harbour, naming it Port Egmont and claiming the land as Albish territory. A year later led an expedition to establish a more permanent colony at Port Egmont. Through a trade agreement Gaul gave ownership of Port St. Louis to Spain who renamed Port Solitude (Puerto Soledad) in 1766. Four years later Don Juan Ignacio de Madariaga forced Albion to leave Port Egmont with Argentinian ships and manpower. This almost resulted in a war between Spain and Albion - however this was averted when the colony was re-established by John Stott. The American War for Independence prompted the Albish government to withdraw its forces in 1774, maintaining claims for sovereignty over the islands. Port Egmont was used a base of activity for Albish traders until 1780 where the Spanish destroyed the colony. The Falklands was ruled through the capital Buenos Aires until 1811 where the Spanish left the colony due to the growing calls of independence in South America. Spain also retained their claim for sovereignty over the islands. For the next few years the Falklands primarily became the haunt of whalers and sailors. Many of these where American or Albish, who soon outnumbered the native population. Infamously the landing of the Isabella at the Falklands eventually resulted in a small skirmish between the Albish and Americans. Government The government of the Falklands operates under a government with the ruling political organ being the only legal political party the Communist Party of the Falklands. The is the President, whose deputy is the Vice-President. The is the Chairperson of the Communist Party of the Falklands. The highest executive and legislative body is the People's Congress of the Falklands. The main executive branch of the government is the Politburo, and the main legislative branch the People's Assembly. The Supreme People's Court functions as the branch of government. The People's Congress of the Falklands meets every four years to discuss important legislative and executive matters, and passes judgement on those topics. The five members of the People's Congress are elected by the President and the Chairperson. The Politburo is the main executive branch, and is headed by the Chairperson of the CPF, who elects members from the People's Assembly. The Politburo consists of around nine members overall. The People's Assembly is headed by the Chairperson, and meditates on all legislative matters, amending and creating laws. The People's Assembly is elected through general elections held every four years, and consists of twenty two members. Administrative divisions Foreign relations Official Falklandic policy is to maintain neutral relations with other nations, being a member of the . The Falklands are also a member of the League of Nations, and the . It is an observer of the International Order of Socialist States, and the . Despite this the Falklands have maintained very close ties with Britannia, whom they share historical, cultural, political and military ties with. The Falklands have an open trade agreement with Britannia with over 50% of Falklandic exports going towards Britannia. Dispute over the sovereignty of the Falklands is still a controversial topic. Many South American nations (such as , , , and ) support Argentina's claims that the islands are Argentinian territory. Most notably Britannia has asserted that the Falklands are an independent nation, and have been ever since the 1982 referendum. Britannia has given substantial military aid to the Falklands including a division of the British Navy to guard the Falklands from possible Argentine aggression. In 2013 British Prime Minister Hugh Byrne stated that if Argentina moved against the Falklands "Britannia will defend the Falklands if Argentina uses force to occupy the islands." A referendum in 2013 (which saw a voter turnout of 95.9%) saw 98.9% of Falklanders wanted to remain independent with the remaining 1.1% voting to become a British overseas territory. The Argentine government has dismissed this poll as communist propaganda. Military The Falklandic military is a voluntary military force that consists of a territorial army and a coast guard. The Falklandic military is one of the smallest in the world with roughly 653 personnel overall. However it is significantly bolstered by British forces who officially supply the Falklands with the majority of their equipment being manufactured in Britannia. As such the Falklandic military is relatively well equipped despite its small size. The Falklandic military is led by the President who operates as the Commander-in-Chief of the military. The Minister of Defence coordinates the military with an appointed commissioned officer leading the general staff. Geography Economy The Falklandic economy is controlled by the CPF, with almost all businesses being state owned. The Falklands have a PPP GDP value at $208.3 million and a high HDI. The Falklands use the Falklandic Pound Sterling as their national currency with the State Bank of the Falklands acting as the central bank. The Falklanidc Pound Sterling is to the British pound sterling. The main industry of the Falklands is fishing which accounts for over 50% of the total GDP. Fish from the Falklands is primarily sold to European countries. The main species of fish caught are squid and finfish. The Falklandic government ban non-government vessels from fishing in Falklandic waters. Sheep farming is another growing industry in the Falklands. Large tracts of land are used to rear sheep, with the government using drugs and selective breeding programs to get larger sheep with more wool. Despite this sheep farming still only accounts for 10% of the national GDP. Tourism is a steadily growing industry with the government putting more funding behind the service sector in the Falklands, a rarity among communist nations. Attractions include the local wildlife, and natural scenery. Accommodation is available in Stanly as well as tourist resorts and lodges dotted around the islands. Farm houses specifically made for tourists have been built by the government to house tourists looking for a more "rustic" holiday. The CPF have relented in their policies by allowing cruise ships to dock in Falklandic harbours on the condition that any products they sell on board to be not sold to residents of the islands unless those residents are on the ship itself. In recent years the Falklandic government have started to drill for potential petroleum reserves in a joint effort with the British government. This has caused some outrage from Argentina, but has been met with strong support with some European nations economically tied to the Falklands. Demographics Ethnicity 71.2% of the population are defined as being "Falklandic" with the majority of those people being of white, European descent and speaking either Welsh or English. The second largest group is ethnically British people who make up 19.1% of the population. The remaining 9.7% of the population is primarily made up of a mix of , , , and peoples. Languages Welsh is the primary language of the Falklands, with English often serving as a secondary language. Currently it is estimated that 96.5% of citizens speak Welsh as a first language, but 97.8% are able to speak English. Welsh is often advocated to be taught alongside English in schools. Education The education system in the Falklands is structured in a similar manner to Britannia's with students starting compulsory primary education at the age of five and continuing through to secondary education which is finished at the age of sixteen. There are three primary schools in the Falklands, and five secondary schools. One secondary school - the Academy of Fox Bay - has a sixth form college attached to it. There is two colleges in the Falklands. Tertiary education is optional, with those expressing interest often requiring to pass entrance exams into a British university. University fees are paid jointly by the Falklandic and British governments. Primary education subjects usually consist of English and literacy, mathematics, science, geography, art, history, IT and physical education lessons. Standard Primary Examinations (SPE's) are taken near the end of primary school with the grades enabling the streamlining of students in secondary education. At 12 years old students progress to secondary education subjects such as foreign languages, religious studies, music, sociology, D&T and drama are introduced. After three years of study students start Standard Secondary Examinations (SSE's) where five subjects are chosen for further study along with the mandatory subjects English, Maths, Science and IT. Tests are taken at the age of 16, where they go onto study at a college, where they will pick only four subjects. Each college in the Falklands has different subject choices with one of the colleges specialising in vocational subjects, and the other college and sixth form in more academic subjects. Tertiary education is optional. Students must apply to a university in Britannia where they will be subject to several entrance exams. If they pass these exams then they will be sent to live in Britannia until they finish their studies, where they will either return to the Falklands or stay to live in Britannia on a work permit. Only a select few of the students stay in Britannia, but a certain percentage of students must return to the Falklands under both the British and Falklandic law. Due to the interconnected nature of the Falklandic and British economies university graduates often hold dual citizenship working in both countries. Education in the Falklands is normally taught to a high standard with teachers often receiving training in Britannia. Falklandic teaching however has been criticised for being infused with communist propaganda - economic studies only teach students on socialist economics for example with free market ideas labelled as fascist. The Falklands have an extremely high literacy rate of 99.7%. Culture Category:Altverse Category:Countries Category:Nations